Streetcar was the largest
carsharing/car club company in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, established in 2004, which merged with the American company
Zipcar
Zipcar is an American car-sharing company and a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group. Zipcar provides vehicle reservations to its members, billable by the minute, hour or day; members may have to pay a monthly or annual membership fee in addition ...
in 2010, following a period of investment by Smedvig Capital.
Streetcar vehicles were parked in a dense network of dedicated spaces primarily in London, but also across a total of 10 UK cities including Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford, Guildford, Maidstone and Southampton. Members could book vehicles from 30 minutes up to six months, online or by phone. A smartcard was used to pick up and return the car at any time.
History
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
University friends
Brett Akker and
Andrew Valentine founded Streetcar in April 2004 after seeing its commercial success in Europe and North America. They started with 8 cars in locations near
Clapham Junction station
Clapham Junction railway station () is a major railway station and transport hub near St John's Hill in south-west Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is from and from ; it is on both the South West Main Line and Brighton Main ...
, and much of the growth since inception has occurred organically through word-of-mouth recommendations.
In March 2007, Streetcar took on £6.4m from Smedvig Capital - an investment which saw
Trevor Chinn
Sir Trevor Edwin Chinn (born 24 July 1935) is a British businessman, philanthropist, and political activist.
Business career
Chinn was educated at Clifton College and King's College, Cambridge and started his career at Lex Garages (later Le ...
come on board as chairman.
The Streetcar fleet consisted of
VW Golf
The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...
s,
VW Polo
The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, saloon, and estate variants throughout its production run.
History
...
s,
VW Transporter
The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its seventh generation, refers to a series of vans produced for over 70 years and marketed worldwide.
The T series is now considered an official Volkswagen Group aut ...
vans and
VW Tourans. From January 2010, Streetcar also introduced the
BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is a range of subcompact executive cars (C-segment) manufactured by BMW since 2004. It is the successor to the BMW 3 Series Compact and is currently in its third generation. Positioned as the entry level model in BMW range of pr ...
and
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a line of compact executive cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. It is the successor to the 02 Series and has been produced in seven generations.
The first generation of the 3 Series was only avail ...
to their fleet. The BMW models Streetcar chose, the 116d, 118d and 318d
In June 2009, Streetcar became the first UK car club to provide an electric car (
Toyota Prius
The is a car built by Toyota which has a hybrid drivetrain, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003.
In 2007, ...
) to its members, as part of a trial with
Camden Council.
In January 2010, the company launched their own iPhone application, allowing members across the UK to locate, book and unlock a car using their iPhone or iPod touch.
Streetcar had over 1,200 locations across 10 UK cities including;
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
,
Brighton,
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
,
Guildford, and
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
.
Following the 2010 merger with Zipcar, the fleet merged under the Zipcar brand and the in-vehicle technology was combined to provide membership of both companies access to more than 1,000 vehicles around
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, as well as international access to vehicles in Zipcar's existing markets across the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The merger plan resulted in a request from the
Office of Fair Trading for an enquiry by the British
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission was a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It was a competition regulator under t ...
, as a merger would mean that the combined company would control 80-90% of the UK market, but the merger was cleared on 22 December 2010.
Membership details
Streetcars were booked online or by phone, and could be collected and returned at any time using the member's personal
smart card and
PIN
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.
Pin or PIN may also refer to:
Computers and technology
* Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system
** PIN pad, a PIN entry device
* PIN, a former Dutch ...
. Usage charges were based on the length of time the client kept the car, and mileage during the rental (the first 20 miles per calendar day were free); currently ZipCar offers 40 free miles per day. In June 2009 Streetcar announced that members would no longer have to pay London's
congestion charge. For car bookings over 72 hours the cost of fuel was included (up to a fair use limit of 500 miles per week, excluding peak weekends; this did not apply in July and August). For bookings shorter than 72 hours, 20 miles' free fuel was provided per calendar day, after which additional mileage was charged at 22p per mile. On 1 March 2011, Streetcar announced that their Overnight Rate would become a permanent feature, after previously being a limited offer. With this, members could book a Streetcar or Streetvan from 6pm to 9am, Monday to Thursday, for £25.
Membership of Streetcar used to cost £59.50 per year, with cars available from £5.25 per hour. Since its merger with Zipcar in 2010, the membership fee has stayed the same but the cost per hour has decreased slightly to £5 for midweek and increased to £6 for weekends.
Streetcar for Business
In 2008, Streetcar launched "Streetcar for Business" as a result of its developing relationship with companies across the UK, and in recognition of the differing needs of businesses and individuals. Business accounts (which cost £99 annually ex VAT) provided employees with access to every vehicle in the Streetcar fleet, with the option to add drivers to the account for a one-off charge of £10 each. The service was used as an example of a practical and green alternative to grey fleets or reimbursed private mileage.
Over 2,000 businesses were registered members of Streetcar for Business, with corporate clients of the pay-as-you-go scheme include
Kellogg’s, as well as local government authorities including Surrey County Council.
Streetvan
In July 2008, Streetcar launched Streetvan, in conjunction with
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement retailer and garden centre with stores across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Founded by Sainsbury's and GB-Inno-BM in 1979, the company was owned by Home Retail Group from October 2006, un ...
and
Big Yellow Self Storage. Streetvan membership cost £19.50 per year, and provided members with access to every van in the fleet. All vehicles are VW Transporter vans, and are available for £8.95 per hour. Following the merger this service became Zipvan.
Environmental and financial benefits
Research by Transport for London showed that each Streetcar took some 26 cars off the roads for every one club car put on the road.
Research also showed that using carsharing clubs such as Streetcar can have financial benefits. According to the government-sponsored website carclubs.org.uk, car owners who drove less than 6,000 miles a year could save up to £3,500.
See also
*
Transport in the United Kingdom
Transport in the United Kingdom is facilitated with road, air, rail, and water networks. A radial road network totals of main roads, of motorways and of paved roads. The National Rail network of 10,072 route miles (16,116 km) in Great B ...
References
External links
*
{{Vehicle rental brands
Carsharing
Defunct transport companies of the United Kingdom
Road transport in London
Transport companies established in 2004
Transport companies disestablished in 2010
2010 mergers and acquisitions